BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — The preliminary television rating for the BCS title game is down 12 percent from last year.
Auburn’s last-second 22-19 win over Oregon on Monday night drew a 16.1 overnight rating on ESPN. Last season’s Alabama-Texas game earned an 18.2 on Fox, which is available in about 15 percent more homes.
This year’s ratings were also hurt by a matchup of two programs with less tradition and national appeal than a year ago.
In the game’s first year on cable, it drew the highest cable overnight rating since records began being kept in 2001. The previous high was a 14.4 for last season’s Patriots-Saints “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN.
